Imagination, the Zest of Life

In Out of Africa, Karen Blixon, speaks of being an armchair traveler and until I heard the term I had never thought of myself in that way. She speaks of traveling to exotic places and spin here tales based on her imaginary traveler. As a little girl I traveled to outer space, China, Germany and hundreds of other places I found in the multiple books I read,  I created my own stories as well.  I still read and travel via book, and now when traveling my stories take on an entire life of their own in multiple airports.

I love sitting in the airport just observing the facial expressions of people which  inspires ideas for marvelous stories. They can be sweet, spicy or dangerous, you get to choose. I have never been bored in  public transportation situation in my life.  I have nearly missed a connection because of being lost in a different world.

I imagination takes us to new dimensions, expands some of our normal dimensions, and allows our
minds to be creative.

some could call this daydreaming, but I prefer to see it as a creative pastime where anything is possible.  This day dreaming is a good activity when the world seems especially harsh, traveling to a another place with other characters can provide a break, or respite from the drama of daily life.  Giving our minds a chance to regroup, as long as we come back and do not stay permanently in the fantasy world.

I do know that thinking is healthy, people watching is entertaining and educational and reading certainly needs no defense as a pastime.  I do believe that imagination is what keeps us creative, active and inspires a quest for more and more knowledge.  I doubt that i will ever want to quit reading and or dreaming. What about you?